the memo defines imminent in such a way that it could be, you know, pretty soon, which again gives the executive branch enormous life or death powers. >> jeffrey toobin, i knew you'd have the answers or ones we can get to. that's all the time we have. thanks for watching. newsro"newsroom international" next. welcome to "newsroom international." i'm suzanne malveaux. taking you around the world in 60 minutes. what's going on now. austria, american skiing sensation lindsey vonn has been airlifted to a hospital after a serious crash on the slopes today. it happened during opening event at the alpine ski world championships. the hospital says she suffered a complex knee injury. vonn is a four-time world champion and olympic gold medalist. more of a live report later in the hour. in mexico a very disturbing story. police searching for a gang of armed men who raped six spanish

women near al ka polka. they raped the women after tying up the men in the group. the mayor has amazing comments about what happened. more on that story, straight ahead. also, in alabama, the 5-year-old boy held hostage for more than a week is now free. his captor is dead. now people are asking, how does this boy heal after seeing his bus driver shot to death and after being dragged into an underground bunker by a stranger with a gun. a live update. and it is something, nof course a lot of us worry about when we travel. are we going to be safe. for us women it's a concern. the allegations of a gang of armed men raped six spanish women visiting the resort city of acalpulco. elizabeth is in l.a. what do we know about what happened, first of all? then we'll get the reaction from

the mayor. >> hi, suzanne. a horrifying attack, as you described it, what we know at this point, according to local media reports, six spanish women raped inside a condo staying near the beach resort and seven men tied up with cell phone cables. now, as you mentioned, the mayor just reacted, saying that this is definitely horrifying, condemned the attack, but said it's something that could happen anywhere in the world. we also know that the spanish ambassador is in contact with the victims. at this hour they're not specifying exactly where they are but they have told us they have received medical attention and taking care of them, as we speak. but certainly horrifying details, these tourists reportedly staying at a condo, no motive why the attack. of course the hunt, the manhunt, on for the gang of armed masked men. >> a loot of pressure on the mayor to respond. clearly it's a popular place. a lot of us go vacation, a lot of people feel safe there. i want us listen to the mayor in

his own words, his response to what happened. >> we knee thow it's unfortunatt happens happened but, hey, it happens anywhere in the world. >> the hey, when they adds in hey, it sounds look a casual response there. how seriously are authorities taking this? >> well, they certainly are taking this serious but i think you're absolutely right about it raising eyebrows. a producer say, wow, to a this happens anywhere in the world. but the reality is, as a news reporter, you know, anchor in los angeles, i'll tell you, i've covered a lot of violence in this town, and certainly we do see home invasion robberies, unfortunately rapes, and also think about it, suzanne, we live in a country where a man dressed up as batman and walked into a movie theater and killed a number of people, not to mention what happened in december in this country, as you know, over at sandy hook elementary school where 20 innocent children killed pi a gunman.

it's a tough situation. certainly mexican authorities want to make sure tourists feel safe when they come to mexico. they feel if they go, they spend money, especially beach resorts. you hear of drug violence and a lot of gang violence along the border. at beach resorts it's a different issue. >> yeah. certainly a surprise when you think about it that way. thank you very much. take us now to washington, d.c., that is where new jersey senator robert menendez, he's now speaking out about the allegations that he partied with prostitutes in the dominican republic. dana bash got an exclusive interview with the senator and facing allegations of improper travel, connected to flights that he took on a private jet, owned by one of his biggest campaign donors. menendez says, this is all a bunch of rumored stirred up by his political opponents. he got heated talking about the aelt allegations of prostitution.

>> the smears -- >> reporter: that you with prostitutes. >> smears that right wing blogs pushing since the election, totally unsubstantiated. >> menendez the chair on the senate foreign relations committee. the guy, we've heard of him before, arch villain richard iii in shakespeare's play about him, conniving king, kills his own nephews to grab the throne. a mystery of what happened to the body after the death, until now. max foster explains the work of history buffs rediscovered the medieval king. >> reporter: richard iii the last british king to die in battle and demonized ever since. not least by william shakespe e shakespeare. a classic performance by lawrence olivier. the king, who said to have a hunchback, buried in a forgotten grave in lester in the english

midlands. a group made it their mission to find the grave, and restore the king's reputation. their work appeared to pay off when here, beneath a car park in lester, they found a skillton with a twisted spine. it was a man that would have been richard's age. >> just excavating the spinal column. take a look at it along here, you can see there's really abnormal curvature of it. so what we are actually seeing here is that this skeleton, in fact, has a hunchback. >> well -- >> no. >> yeah. >> no! >> reporter: the bones were sent off for age and dna analysis, which was difficult enough, considering how degraded they were. but there was also another missing link. to make a dna match to richard, they needed one of his living descendants. genealogists worked tirelessly to track richard's lineage to the modern day and ended up here in london. a canadian carpenter was a 17th

generation descendant of richard iii. >> my mother gave a dna sample in 2004, she died in 2008. and when they launched the date back in the end of august, they asked me to provide a new sample, just because the testing process had become a bit more complex. >> reporter: if his dna matched that of the bones in the car park, richard iii's burial place would have been found more than 500 years after his death. and that's what happened. >> it is the conclusion of the university of lester that beyond reasonable doubt the individual exhumed at gray fryers september 2012 is indeed richard iii. >> reporter: richard's first funeral may have passed by undocumented and forgotten. but after a 500-year wait, he is now set for reburial, fit for a king, the lester cathedral, courtesy of modern day followers. max foster, cnn, london.

>> want to bring in richard quest from london, not to be confused with richard iii. richard, why is everybody fascinated about the story? like the twitter verse is blowing up over this thing. some people think, maybe he was unfairly painted as this vilen and hundreds and hundreds of years later they want to rehabilitate his image. >> and it is everywhere. just look, the newspapers, all have the story in the uk. bent spine, slashed skull and dna. everybody's got it. and you want to know why, because it's the thought of mystery. for half a millennium we wondered, not only what happened to him, although it was known he died at the battle of bosworth, but how did they die. where was he buried. he was he the evil king of shakespeare? remember, we all read this, richard iii, a horse, a horse,

my kingdom, for a horse. it's everywhere. and it's that element of mystery that's now being uncovered. >> why do people care so much about this? he really was, like pretty evil dude killing people but -- >> no. >> a lot of people did that, right? that was part of the culture. >> oh, you say that, but the richard iii society is in the business of rehabilitation. did he really kill the young princes in the tower or his brother? no, we don't know these things. we do know now, and this is one of the fascinating parts of this whole story, we know how he was killed. we know the acts, ten wounds to the body, two into the head the skull could have knocked him off in one go. a pauper's grave. but we still do not know exactly what sort of man he was.

was he this evil villain of shakespeare, this machiavellian, or did he have the empathy of the working man, which of course we saw in many of his other works. >> richard, do we have any idea his descendants, right? they tracked them down to one canadian carpenter. do we know if there's any link between queen elizabeth and richard iii. >> glad you asked. there is no direct descendant between richard iii and her majesty, the queen. richard had no issue. therefore, there could be no lineage that way. however, if you look back through the family tree, as i've spent more times than decent in the last few hours you do see connections well and truly up the family tree and it's always by marriage, nephews, nieces. it's not direct. so, yes, there is a very indirect descent from richard iii to elizabeth ii, but it is distant at best. >> and, richard, i want to show

you tweets because everybody's talking about this today. he we have one of them who says, the ability to produce reconstruction of a long dead face remarkable. many congratulations to all. another one says, if this guy did 1% of what he was accused, any reasonable person would conclude he was not a nice man, by any stretch. somebody else weighing in saying, wow, kind of eerie to see a full sized replica of his face. >> this is the amazing part about it. this replica, this -- that they've re-created, knowing what the skull was like, knowing how he looked, knowing what the features were. and, let me tell you, when he was done in, it was brutal and bloody. i mean, this wasn't sort of a nice -- i assure you, for family viewing in the united states, at this timing of the day, we're not going to go into details but put it this way. it was painful and unpleasant. >> we see the replica on the right, pretty amazing when you look at the picture and the replica.

richard, i think we're going to keep pock talking about this for days. everybody's blown away about what we're seeing here. it's a i mystery. we don't know a lot about what happened back then. >> i think i'm going to get some cliffs' notes, use say, and maybe reread shakespeare, knowing what we now know about him. i think it's probably a good moment to reinvest some time in richard iii. >> yeah. i think i might reread it myself, in our free time, right. all of the free time we have these days. what we're working on for this hour of "newsroom international." iranians launched a monkey in space but media think it was a fake. we'll get to the bottom of it. late, korean music goes deeper than gangnam style. why americans are going crazy for k-pop. >> i'm a huge fan of mini k-pop groups, all k-pop groups. >> alexander's watch this k-pop

video countless times on the web and you can, too. >> baby good-bye.am designed for men's health concerns as we age. it has 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day men's 50+. with olay, here's how. new regenerist eye and lash duo the cream smooths the look of lids... softens the look of lines. the serum instantly thickens the look of lashes. and the award for wow eyes in just one week goes to you.

then you're going to love this. right now they're only $14.95! wow-a grt deal just got a whole lot better. hurry. $14.95 won't last. welcome back to "newsroom

international." here's one for all of the techies, apple's new ipad on sale today. here's the big news selling feature. this has double the memory of the old one, also comes with a bigger price tag, talking about $800 and up, probably won't see the usual frenzied buyers at apple stores, because it's aimed at professionals not the rest of us consumers. vice president biden paying a visit to 10 downing street, he met with prime minister david cameron. among the issues topping the aagenda, battle against islamist rebels in mali and of course the civil war in syria. the vice president arrived in uk yesterday after stops in berlin and paris. in mexico, officials say a gas buildup caused an explosion at the state oil company's headquarters, happened last week, killed at least 37 people, injured more than 100. investigators are still looking for the exact source of the gas. they say that there are no traces of explosives found

actually at the scene. and, of course, the question we are asking today, when is it legal for the u.s. government to kill its own citizens overseas? talking about americans here. justice department memo made public by nbc spells out the position, by the obama administration, now what it says the memo justifies the targeted killing of an american who is considered a senior operational leader of al qaeda or an associated group, and who poses an imminent threat of violent attack against the united states. want to bring in halle goran any. a controversial issue, under president bush, now president obama. the fact that the government does have the power, and the authority, to kill an american overseas that's considered a threat. and how do they define that? >> that's the question because when you say imminent, it could be imminent in a few hours, in a few weeks, saying you can target a member of al qaeda, senior operational al qaeda leader, or associated forces. how are you defining associated

forces? how are you defining the word imminent? how are you defining the word threat? all of these things are things that are open to interpretation and has civil liberties groups, as well, worried about what this means as far as the u.s., executive powers authority to decide, based on kind of unclear, sometimes, terms in terms how they're defined to go ahead and assassinate a u.s. citizen abroad. when you look at the justice department memo, as you said, leaked and made public by nbc, 16 pages. details the case for the use of those armed drones, which are terribly unpopularoutside of the united states. i don't think in the u.s. people realize how unpopular the use of armed drones are. that this is -- yes, it is believed to be, as i said, senior operational leader or associated force. what's important, though not to be actively pursuing an attack. >> not talking about a tourist who might be suspicious that they're looking at. talking about people like anwar al awlaki.

>> killed in yemen september 2011. i think part -- >> inspired the underwear bomber, i understand, as well, that was his role. >> one of operatives. civil liberties groups say he wasn't charged, he wasn't indicted, there was collateral damage that ended up taken out as well his teenage son, also a u.s. citizen. this is where you have concern, as well, that executive is granting itself the authority. we speak about civil liberties groups. >> what do they say? >>. aclu says it's a disturbing document. you have that. and a spoke with -- our team spoke with bruce ackerman, on cnn international of yale university, saying there are three words to remember here, one, is imminent, the third is associated forces, which broadens the definition of al qaeda and third secrecy. this is done in secret. these are leaked memos, not something -- >> you can bet there's a lot of legal challenges. >> hala. >> john brennan nominated to

head the cia, his confirmation hearings are this week, that is certain to come up. a legend on the slopes airlifted to a hospital after a dangerous crash. we'll get the latest on lindsey vonn's skiing accident, next. jenna shared her recipe with sharon, who emailed it to emily, who sent it to cindy, who wondered why her soup wasn't quite the same. the recipe's not the recipe... ohhh. [ female announcer ] ...without swanson. the broth cooks trust most when making soup. mmmm! [ female announcer ] the secret is swanson. hey hun, remember you only need a few sheets.

hmph! [ female announcer ] charmin ultra soft is made with extra cushions that are soft and more absorbent. plus you can use four times less. charmin ultra soft.

in austria today, american skiing sensation lindsey vonn airlifted to the hospital after a crash on the slopes. a hospital says vonn suffered a complex knee injury on opening day of the super g event al the alpine ski world championships. christina mcfarland, host of alpine edge. tell us, first of all, do we know where she is and how she's doing? >> hi, suzanne. yes, she's in a hospital, airlifted to hospital from the place close to where the tournament is taking place. in the last ten minutes, we've been able to confirm from her surgeon, treating her at the moment she has sustained a torn ligament to the right knee. however, no immediate operation will be necessary for her at this time, and apparently the

ski association considering whether or not to take her, fly her back to the united states. >> what does this mean for her skiing future? do we know? >> well, it not great for her skiing future. we spoke to her in december, and she was excited about this season, on the cusp of breaking the world record of number of world cup wins. looking to next year, it's the winter olympics, the big one on the horizon, whether she'll be ready to defend the gold medal is another question altogether. >> when we see the video of that, give us a sense of what was it like on the slopes, conditions that caused this accident. do we have any idea what was behind this? >> yes. it was a very cloudy morning on the place, i understand, so much so they were deciding whether or not to let the race go ahead. when lindsay had her crash, there was an outcry from skiers, fellow skiers below that this shouldn't have been allowed to take place, given the conditions. and the ski world, of course, shocked that on the first day of

the major championship such an event, that arguably the biggest skier in living history at the moment has sustained such an injury. >> do we know if they're continuing their event, the competition, in light of this? >> i believe so, yes. i think they'll take the conditions into account in the days to come. but there's a raft of events set to take place over the next two weeks and event itself, i mean it's reported that they've invested $584 million in the event. i think it will continue to take place but without its biggest star, lindsey vonn. >> what a loss there. thank you very much. appreciate it. we certainly hope that she recovers well. in syria, christians are siding with the government of al assad. helping his forces to fight off the renbels. why and what it means. clients are always learning more

to make their money do more. (ann) to help me plan my next move, i take scottrade's free, in-branch seminars... plus, their live webinars.

i use daily market commentary to improve my strategy. and my local scottrade office guides my learning every step of the way. because they know i don't trade like everybody. i trade like me. i'm with scottrade. (announcer) scottrade... ranked "highest in customer loyalty for brokerage and investment companies." your doctor will say get smart about your weight. i tried weight loss plans... but their shakes aren't always made for people with diabetes. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. and they have six grams of sugars. with fifteen grams of protein to help manage hunger... look who's getting smart about her weight. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes.

welcome back to "newsroom international." taking you around the world in 60 minutes. what's going on now mexico. police are searching for a gang of armed men who they say raped six spanish women near the resort city of acapulco. investigators say the rapists attacked the women after tying up men in their group. in cairo, egypt, for the first time since 1979 revolution an iranian president is visiting egypt. ahmadinejad met with egypt's president morsi earlier today. they are talking about improving relationships between these two countries, and here's why, this trip would have been unthinkable under mubarak. in 1979 mubarak signed and enforceded a peace treaty with israel. a year later iran broke ties with egypt. iran does not recognize israel as a country. and it is the biggest buyout of its kind since the recession. michael dell with a private equity firm is buying back dell.

the deal worth $24.4 billion. the reason, michael dell wants to go private, to try to turn the slumping company around, away from the pressure of wall street. problem two years into syria's bloody civil war many christians remained firmly on the side of the president. much of the world, including the united states, opposes bashar al assad's regime but serious christians are afraid if rebels overthrow the president, radical islamists will target them. fred pleitgen has a cnn exclusive on a christian community standing its ground. >> reporter: a check point in the predominantly christian town, but this isn't a government outpost. it's manned by a local christian militia loyal to the assad regime. none of the men would speak to us on camera, afraid they'll be targets of the opposition. several checkpoints throughout the town, but there are several hundred men under arms who

patrol streets to make sure no militants infiltrate the safe area. this man organizes the group. driving through the streets he tells me he can't imagine syria without bashar al assad. i don't know why, but we love the president very much, he says. we love him a lot. sure there are mistakes but we love the president a lot. christians make up 10% of syria's population. so far, most of them have not joined the uprising against the assad regime, weary of islamist militants in the ranges of the onization. there are 44 churches, the town is a center of pilgrimage for christians around the world. but standing on a hilltop, he points to nearby towns he says have opposition fighters, some radical islamists who have fired mortars at the town and even kidnapped people from here. we will not leave, he says.

syria's our country and this is our town. we will not leave even if it's destroyed, if it's bombed every day, and a thousand people die. it's our land. and we will not leave it. so, the christian militia members man checkpoints and patrol the streets, fearful the opposition might try to oust them from their homeland, should they prevail. as the muslim call to prayer rings over the many church tops of the town where christians and muslims live side by side, many worry, the conflict in syria might put an abrupt end to a calm that has lasted for generations. fred pleitgen, cnn, syria. >> a sea change in the fight against excite change. scientists think they can clear the problem by seeding oceans with a tiny mineral. [ male announcer ] when was the last time something made your jaw drop?

campbell's has 24 new soups that will make it drop over, and over again. ♪

from jammin' jerk chicken, to creamy gouda bisque. see what's new from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. we don't let frequent heartburn come between us and what we love. so if you're one of them people who gets heartburn and then treats day after day... block the acid with prilosec otc and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn.

oceans around the world are in danger now. it is estimated that 30% of the coral reefs on the planet will be destroyed in the next ten years and that's mostly because of global warming. now scientists think the tiny mineral might hold the key to stopping climate change. joining us now, chad meyers and phillipe cousteau. good to have you on the couch. >> finally in person. >> i love this. this is good. this is great. tell us about this -- what the study here, this mineral what does it mean to change the coral reef. >> it's not just coral. but the idea to take minerals and seed the oceans with them, to allow for biological processes to happen, essential fight tphytoplankton growth tha absorb carbon out of the atmosphere. it's not a bad idea to find ute what technological applications

to solve the carbon crisis that we're facing. but unfortunately a lot of the science is still in early stages and may have additional side effects that we don't fully understand yet. >> what are side effects? this is changing the bottom of the ocean, right? >> conceivably, what would happen is the phytoplankton at the surface would grow, according to minerals and iron that we seed the ocean with. and those would absorb it, being a plant those would absorb in decay absorb carbon, oxygen, and see sequester carbon out of the air. we don't know all of the potential impacts that they can have for food chains, also algae blooms toxic to animals as well as humans. early days of understanding what the long-term ramifications of the geoengineering would be. >> the ocean acidification.

where are we going to go when our oceans die? when those oceans die, if they do, that's, to me, more important than the land being dry or getting more rain because of global warming climate change. we have to do something. we have to do it soon. we are on the edge. next story is about carbon dioxide, not able to go into the warmer ocean water. >> it's true. one of the issues that we look at is that while this type of engineering and new technology is exciting and something we should pursue, there are ecosystems like sea grass beds and mangoes that we know for a fact today absorb carbon. we should be focusing on making sure that those kinds of systems are healthy instead of solely focusing on technological approaches. >> this is fascinating. it's always new to us. we're just learning about this now. >> well, a lot of it is emerging science and information. and science is a long process.

it takes time to go through the scientific system and to make sure that our is are dotted and ts are crossed. it's not a very rapid type of program. and the scientists like to take their time to make sure their information is accurate. >> you don't want to poison ocean with chemicals you put in. but i think it's going to take something like that to counteract that. >> definite. >> i doing better with co2 emissions per person, cars are doing better, so we are making twice as many cars. i'm thinking a million little sparking machines to spark the carbon and the oxygen apart and get the carbon dioxide to fall out. a tremendous -- the amount of carbon dioxide in the air now is overwhelming. >> we far surpassed 350 parts per million. we'll blow past 450, blow past 550 probably. we know -- chad's right -- we have to take carbon out of the atmosphere at a certain point. there are natural processes and

ecosystems, the sea grass, we should enhance those first, and certainly invest in these types of new technologies. >> we'll have you come back as a regular to explain all of this. we have a lot of work to do on the environment. a lot of work. chad, stick around. we have an asteroid story. i understand going to make a close shave with the earth soon. half the size of a football field hurling at us more than the speed of 70,000 miles per hour. what does this mean? >> very close. it's going to be -- is it one-tenth the distance between us and the moon. some points maybe closer. it's going to hurl through. it's not going to hit atmosphere. it's not an issue. but it's something that we didn't even see until last year. all of a sudden, we're 17,000 miles from getting a direct imfrac asteroid we didn't know about two years ago. near earth asteroids are growing in intensity. >> getting closer. >> that would be worse than the super bowl right there.

>> power outage. what would happen, do you think if it did hitterth in. >> let's go to my graphic. gr-107 for the director there. this is going to pass between us and our earth orbiting satellites. we've got to knock one out of the sky. i doubt it. there's more space than satellites. if it would hit the earth it would knock down hundreds of square miles of trees because one of these happen, about the same size happen in siberia, 700 to 1,000 square miles of forest land knocked down. not many people live there, that was the good news. >> that's good news. how often does that happen when they get that close? this encounter happens once every 40 years. but we're finding more and more ever day. it could be 20 years soon if we find too many. i don't like it. where is bruce willis when you need him? >> break up those things. chad, thank you. >> always a pleasure. >> and in person, love it. iran has been boasting about

successfully launching a monkey into space, that happened last week. but much like an american moon landing decades ago, there's a conspiracy theory going on over the monkey, whether or not they put that guy up. he looks miserable, into orbit. we'll get to the bottom of it.

welcome back to "newsroom international." we take you around the world in 60 minutes. now in britain, the possible

legalization of same-sex marriage is debated now in parliament. the measure's facing strong opposition within the prime minister's own party. the vote is set for later today. and don't be fooled by the pictures. check it out, though. >> not time for mardi gras. parade honoring the ravens super bowl win. the team rolled through town. celebrate the second super bowl tight until franchise history. super bowl mvp joe flacco led the way. the quarterback threw three touchdowns in the big game, it was fun to watch. no parade in san francisco, the 49ers, well, they've got a consolation prize, free jell-o pudding cups. that's all right, i guess. free jell-o pudding cups. only a few years ago, another story, this visit would have been unthinkable. iranian president ahmadinejad arriving in cairo in an effort

to reunite the ties, renew ties between iran and egypt. signaling a thaw in the cold, frosty relationship. mubarak supported a peace treaty with israel a country in which iran has hostile relation. want to bring in international desk editor. what is the significance, when you see ahmadinejad getting off that plane in egypt, of all places? >> such a great point. there's a back story to all of this. diplomatic ties really began to unravel after the 1979 revolution. we've heard a lot about the period in iranian's history due to "argo" which we talked about as well. also significant is the fact that iran's shah was diagnosed with cancer and no other country would take him in, take this exiled president in, except for egypt. and that was the predecessor of mubarak, anwar sadat, who took him in.

egypt is the resting place for the former shah of iran. >> a dangero union to see the t powers together. iran, ahmadinejad, two of them talking? >> they still have a lot of ground to cover, suzanne. but they still differ on syria and their approaches toward syria. but it's the first step. we'll see where this goes. but again, we've never seen anything like this before. in the last 33 years. >> ahmadinejad, making news in so many different ways. talk about the poor monkey that we see strapped to the rocket. he looks miserable. do we believe that this is even true? i mean there's all of this fuss, right? the different photos. explain to us what that is about. >> i want to know what that monkey saw when it went up and what it came down to tell scientists. the discrepancy here, which launched this hashtag monkey gate on twitter verse, due to the fact that before the launch iranian media released a photo

of the monkey with a mole on his right eyebrow. then that raised eyebrows in and of itself, two days after the launch another photo released by iranian state media showing the monkey without a mole. they're like, what's going on. >> holy molly. >> the iranians have not commented but in state media reports they've said that, oh, oops, the first photo we published was of a monkey supposed to be part of the 2011 launch which, you know, failed. that explains the mole. >> the other oops moment, this is getting buzz. senator mccain weighs in on this. taking a swipe at ahmadinejad. he says, tweeting out here, so ahmadinejad wants to be the first iranian in space. wasn't he just there last week? iran launches monkey into space. some folks say, it's kind of, you know -- off-color, some same racist. what do they make of this in iran? >> well, ahmadinejad is known

for his kind of sidebar comments, more or less. and the comment that he wants to be the first -- he volunteers to go newspaper space puts him on the line here. but even that was really -- it was a joke and mentioned in jest. my namesake, 2006, pioneered her own way into space and she paid for her own mission. the first private citizen to iranian -- iranian citizen paid her way into space. >> i had no idea. breaking news. your namesake as well. thank you so much. good to see you, as always. interesting. of course, new craze, taking over here. this is coming from korea. a lot more than gangnam style. >> we'll show you why folks are so excited.

the beatles ushered in the british invasion in the u.s. decades ago. now there's a new craze that's made its way here, it's called k-pop, and if you're not sure what we're talking about, maybe this is going to ring a bell. watch this. ♪ gangnam style >> talking about pop music.

what makes it so appealing now to americans. >> hi. my name is alexander, i'm 18, from ogden, utah. i'm a huge fan of mini k-pop groups are of all k-pop groups. >> reporter: alexander's watch this k-pop video countless times on the web and you can, too. >> music can connect people. >> reporter: it is an obsession, a devotion that led eli to dance out of utah to southern california. but why? and how could the music from my homeland, i was born in korea, connect with the white kid from utah? or the thousands of fans who turned up on a saturday morning in orange county, california, for the first korean pop, or k-pop, convention in america? forgive me, you're not the

demographic i think of when i think of k-pop fans. >> look like anything. >> any race. like it's -- as long as you love the music. >> you stop anyone here and ask them how they found out about k-pop, they found out on youtube. prior to the internet and the rise of social media, this would have never happened. and it's seeping into your world. by now, you heard it. likely even tried it. but psy, the chubby korean pop star, is just the tip of the korean pop music tsunami. but this band wasn't discovered. it was manufactured. like nearly all k-pop groups and singers. ♪ >> reporter: inside studios like this in los angeles, young guys train. if they're lucky, they're recruited by a korean music studio and taken to soel seoul

and molded into the image of the k-pop star. the k-pop makeover goes beyond skin deep. this doctors one of seoul's top plastic surgeons at a clinic that performs a hundred surgeries a day. when patients come in and talk about why they want these types of surgeries, what do they tell you? >> they want to have the faces of the singers and movie stars of korea. >> reporter: k-pop says dr. kim has helped fuel that desire. it's a well-known fact in the k-pop world. >> translator: it's not uncommon, says the president of cj entertainment. >> reporter: k-pop is visual. looks are important. so one thing i will say, after spending most of the day here, is that things have come a long way. when i grew up, it was definitely not cool to be korean. but things have certainly

changed. a world only getting smaller, merging, on the big stage, a personal one. >> thank you all for listening. i'm eli alexander. >> reporter: cnn, irvine, california. >> i love that. so when you hear the word olympics you think, what, pole vaulting, sprinting, long jump. but what they're calling the olympics in india. a main event, getting run over by a tracker. we'll explain. this day calls you.

to fight chronic osteoarthritis pain. to fight chronic low back pain. to take action. to take the next step. today, you will know you did something for your pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a pain reliever fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. anti-depressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults.

cymbalta is not for children under 18. people taking maois, linezolid or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. take the next step. talk to your doctor. cymbalta can help. hey hun, remember you only need a few sheets. hmph! [ female announcer ] charmin ultra soft is made with extra cushions that are soft and more absorbent. plus you can use four times less. charmin ultra soft.

this is india. this is bizarre. these are ways that folks show how strong they are. they call this the rural olympics. take a look at amazing stunts here. this guy uses his teeth to lift a plow over his head new york hands. there he is. some 4,000 people across india, they competed in this over the weekend. crazy stuff. another dangerous-looking performance here, these two guys lie on the ground as a tractor runs over them. one of them is posing for pictures as he does it. unbelievable stuff there. but this is for entertainment and sport, i guess. another picture, racing. these two guys racing each other. this is carts that are pulled by the cows. you see them, they look animated. screaming. more than a million people turned out to watch all of this. it's a big competition. these games, they've been around

80 years. a lot of folks love that stuff. hostage stand-off in alabama is now over. the 5-year-old, ethan, how to safe. but at what cost? we'll hear from one woman who was kidnapped and the nightmares that she had after the attack. president obama trying to buy more time to pay the bills. hear from him live in about 15 minutes or 0. see the briefing room, getting it set up there. and drones, how the u.s. government can use them to kill its citizens, americans, if they are leading al qaeda terror attacks. this is "cnn newsroom." i'm suzanne malveaux. we have learned more about the seven day hostage stand-off in alabama and now how it ended, the 5-year-old is okay, ethan. he spent the night in the hospital after being rescued

during a raid on the underground bunker where held. his captor, 65-year-old jimmy lee dykes killed in the raid. he granted the boy, ethaning off his school bus, after shooting and killing the bus driver last week. they raided the bunker when they became concerned his mental state was declining. ethan's birthday is tuesday. he's going to turn 6. people are celebrating. the fbi is dispatching a shooting review board to sort this out. we'll talk to two experts about the raid and also about how hey child overcomes something like this little kid had to go through and the ordeal around it. but, first, background on what it feels to go through what little ethan experienced. miguel marquez talked with a survivor kidnapped off her school bus years ago remembers it like it was yesterday. >> reporter: this is the bus you were in in 1976 when you and

your friends were kidnapped? >> right. >> reporter: what is it like to be inside of here? >> well, it brings back all of the memories. >> reporter: memories taken years to get observe, memories brought back to life watching a similar drama play out in alabama, at center a little boy named ethan. >> he's going to need a lot of love and a lot of understanding. >> reporter: jodi knows what 5-year-old ethan went through. >> one by one, herded into a hole in the ground. >> reporter: 36 years ago, jodi and 26 others were kidnapped while on a school bus in california. they were forced into a moving van that was buried. they were being held for ransom. after 16 hours managed to escape. ethan's story -- >> they've been holed up in some kind of underground bunker. >> reporter: -- brought it all back, but worse. >> they saw their bus driver be shot. that's a traumatic thing. i didn't see anybody be shot. in my dream, i did.

i had a reoccurring nightmare for years. >> reporter: her hurt goes out to driver charles poland. he helped all but help ethan escape. >> he did it for those kids, though. he's a true hero. he saved all of those kids. >> reporter: the driver of her bus in 1976 edward ray, a hulking but gentle man, kept the kids together and safe through their ordeal. he died last year at 91 years old. hundreds attended his funeral. >> if it wasn't for him, i don't know what any of us would have done. he was my hero, i know that. i loved him. >> reporter: two ordeals, years and thousands of miles apart, two people traveling a similar road. miguel marquez, cnn, california. so what are the tactics that the fbi would use to end the stand-off if? how is this boy recovering from all of this? let's bring in tom fuentes, also

cnn contributor in washington and clinical psychologist, jeff gardere from new york. getting new information from our own martin savidge the body of the hostage taker, jimmy lee dykes, is still remains in the area and that it showed multiple signs of gunshot wounds, which means that the cause of death was obvious. is that typical, that the body would still be there? >> well, that would depend on the local authorities of the examination of the body, the forensic pathologists that would be looking at it to determine how many gunshots and what damage was done by them or whether any wounds were self-inflicted. that's pretty much standard procedure to have that kind of examination occur after the victim's been shot and killed. >> to still have the body there near the site, what do we know? in your experience, how this

little boy finally was rescued. what were the things that they were thinking about, law enforcement officials, before they decided to go in and rescue this kid? >> from the first minute this unfolds, they have to decide whether or not what's the danger or threat level against the boy, and they have to be prepare ford the assault, attempt to rescue him. really from the very beginning, the first day, the first hour. so that's ongoing. however, they're going to give negotiations a chance to try to see if they can resolve this peacefully without attempting that assault. i can tell you, as a former s.w.a.t. team member, commander and tactical on scene commander, this was a difficult thing. i'm going to say, i'm not here to be the fbi cheerleader, but i'll tell you what, in this case, you can't cheer loudly enough for the level of skill that was used in this case to effect that rescue with the boy coming out of this alive. you have so many challenges. it's an underground bunker, agents have to go downtears

which means legs are exposed, he may see them coming first. you have a brick in bunker according to neighbors. so you have the possibility that if any of those agents fire a shot and miss, it's going to ricochet around that room like a billiard table and possibly hit the boy or possibly hit one of the agents. so you have that fear. so in the standard procedure in this would be normally to throw in a flash bang, a grenade simulator which makes a tremendous noise, especially in a confined brick room, and literally it stuns and freezes the central nervous system of anybody in that room that's not expecting it, and daring that one second edge, the agents would try to get down, make the entry into that place, get him in their sights and be ready if he doesn't surrender, they'll take him alive, if he does not or if he has a weapon in his hand, they're going to have to take shots at him and make absolutely sure that he can't pull the trigger, because his bullet could ricochet around the

room and hit somebody. this -- the level of skill, precision, that went into this, is one reason why people acknowledge worldwide, and i've been all over the world, acknowledge the fbi hostage rescue team is the best in the world and they proved it yesterday. >> weigh in here, because obviously, you have seven days in the enclosed space here. i can't imagine what that was like with somebody who is holding you hostage. what did this boy go through? >> well, it was probably the most terrifying thing that may ever happen to him in his life. we believe that it might have been dark down there, so that's a continuing issue. again, throughout his years. but more than anything else, you are to look at some of the factors. not only is this a very young child, who is separated from the people that he loves, the way that he was taken, the violence of it, him not knowing whether he was going to live or die, being down there with a total stranger and a person who obviously was unhinged. i think all of that makes it

difficult for any child. but talking about a child who also has adhd, being in one spot, not being able to move, not being able to expend that energy and then possibly this idea of autism or aspergers and not having structure that he's used to that helps him survive and function, all of that taken away, it was a horrendous, horrendous experience and even though he's doing well now, down the road we see that it will come back to him through some sort of acute stress disorder, or ptsd, along with a nightmare, the depression, the anxiety. his mother's going to have to show him a lot of love, which i know she will. >> is he going to be able to recover from this? is there enough therapy? is there enough love that can help this little boy through his life as he gets older? >> he certainly will be able to survive. he may even thrive. and he'll do well in his life.

but this is something that will stay with him, as it has with the previous person who talked about her experience in california. we see when children go through this, no matter how resilient they are, suzanne, that at some point in their lives it plays itself back, even if they hear it happening to someone else. it all, those experiences come rushing back as part of the ptsd. >> we are so just relieved that this little boy is free, that he's being taken care of. i think it was hard for everybody to just follow this day after day that he was being held hostage. but at least it has ended in a way that this little boy has a future. tom, jeff, thank you so much, appreciate it. we are waiting, a few minutes from now the president asking congress for a short-term agreement that will push back deep spending cuts. cuts including those going to the military, actually, will go into effect next month unless they act, somebody's got to act

here. the president's remarks live in a couple of minutes.he you te t hm they could save a lot of money on their car insurance by switching to geico...they may even make you their best man. may i have the rings please? ah, helzberg diamonds. nice choice, mate. ...and now in the presence of these guests we join this loving couple. oh dear... geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.

president obama is calling to action to avoid the deep spending cuts that are set to take effect. that's going to happen next

month, if nothing gets done. we're awaiting to hear from the president live. you see the briefing room there. everybody's getting miked up and ready to go. the president wants dong pass a short-term deal to avoid across the board cuts part of the deal that was made, the debt ceiling debate of 2011. republicans say it is now time for the president to do something. >> this week, i'm pleased to join my leadership in putting forward the require a plan act that will say to the president two specific things. put a budget in place that balances with a continue-year period of time, but if you don't, tell us when it does. tell us when your plan balances. families and businesses across the great nation must work on a balanced budget. they can't borrow and spend as far as the eye can see. this president, it's time for him to step up, put forward a balanced budget or tell us when his budget will balance. >> for more on what we expect to hear from the president, we want

to bring in my colleague and friend, john king in washington. john we know the president will try to kick the can forward here, talk about the need for revenue, as well as spending cuts but not deep cuts that everybody's concerned. what do we expect? >> a familiar haunt for both of us, the white house briefing room. using the power of the presidency to drive the story. keep that picture up. the sequester take ease feffect 1st. what would it do? ten years of cuts would kick in $1.10 trillion but $85 billion across the board spending cuts due to take effect march 1st. joined by our chief political analyst, gloria borger and jean sahadi, with us new york. the president will come out, call on congress to pass a temporary package of spending cuts to have another temporary fix for what we call in washington, forgive me, america, the sequester, that is the term they use here in washington, due

to take effect march 1st. jean, i want to go to you first, quickly. if we don't have this temporary fix, while they continue to try to negotiate a bigger grand bargain, as the president would like to have, that the economy could tilt back into recession, we've seen the stock market go up, encouraging signs of job growth. the president says that could be at risk when you have federal budget cuts, true? >> the cbo, congressional budget office came out with a report ten minutes ago that said the effects of the sequester would retard growth by 1.3 percentage groups. the cbo said, if we get rid of the sequester, we're not going to grow at gang buster rates. yes, the sequester will not be good for the economy but the president, i suspect, will try to do, and definite hawks advising, we can replace the sequester with a smarter strategy that is a more gradual deficit reduction plan.

he's going disagree with the republicans on how to do that. he's going to want revenue to be part of it. republicans will say no thank you. >> we'll get the president if a minute and a half. white house gave us a two-minute warning. i would say it's a short-term for the president and the congress not doing what they're supposed to do pass a budget every year. the president set up the sequester, a fiscal negotiations -- >> this is not a natural disaster. >> it's not a natural disaster. >> man-made. >> many ways the president's late submitting his own budget but coming to the podium because though he's part of the mess he thinks he has the upper hand. >> right. i'm having a world is upside down moment. when you talk to house republicans they say to you, you know what? this may be the best budget cuts we can get. let the sequester take effect, even if it cuts the military, the secretary and defense, leon panetta saying that would be shameful. but you have a lot of house republicans, tea party republicans, saying you know

what? this wouldn't be the worst thing in the world because it may be the best we can get without tax increases. they're done talking about taxes. >> they say they're done. the president will say again he wants a package of spending cuts now and a bigger negotiation he wants more revenue or tax increases. this is the president's way. he's beginning his second term. last thing he wants is disruption in the economy in the psychology, financial markets to set his second term off when he thinks things are growing. how much is baked into the marks, if you will? do they expect the sequester, as more people in washington say it's -- let's listen to the president. >> good afternoon, everybody. i want to say a few words about the looming debt lines and decisions that we face on our budget and on our deficit. these are decisions that will have real and lasting impacts on the strength and pace of our recovery. economists and business leaders from across the spectrum have said that our economy is poised for progress in 2013.

and we have seen signs of this progress over the last several weeks. home prices continue to climb. car sales that are a five-year high, manufacturering has been strong and we have creating more than 6 million jobs in the last 35 months. but we've also seen the effects that political dysfunction can have on our economic progress. the drawn-out process for resolving the fiscal cliff hurt consumer confidence. the threat of massive automatic cuts have already started to affect business decisions. so we've been reminded that while it's critical for us to cut wasteful spending, we can't just cut our way to prosperity. deep indiscriminate cuts to education and training, energy and national security will cost us jobs. it will slow down our recovery. it's not the right thing to do for the economy. it's not the right thing for folks who are out there still

looking for work. the good news is this doesn't have to happen. for all of the drama and disagreements we've had over the past few years, democrats and republicans have still been able to come together and cut the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion through a mix of spending cuts and higher rates on taxes for the wealthy. a balanced approach has achieved more than $2.5 trillion in deficit reduction. that's more than halfway towards the $4 trillion in deficit reduction that economists and elected officials from both parties believe is required to stabilize our debt. so we've made progress. and i still believe that we can finish the job with a balanced mix of spending cuts and more tax reform. the proposals that i put forward during the fiscal cliff negotiations in discussions with

speaker boehner and others, are still very much on the table. i just want to repeat. the deals that i put forward, the balanced approach of spending cuts, and entitlement reform and tax reform that i put forward, are still on the table. i've offered sensible reforms to medicare and other entitlements, and my health care proposals achieve the same amount of savings by the beginning of the next decade as the reforms that have been proposed by the bipartisan bowles-simpson fiscal commission. these reforms would reduce our government's bill -- what's up, cameramen? come on, guys. they're breaking my flow all the time. these reforms would reduce our government's bills by reducing the cost of health care, not shifting all of those costs on

to middle class seniors or the working poor or children with disability, but nevertheless achieving the kinds of savings that we're looking for. but, in order to achieve the full $4 trillion in deficit reductions that is the stated goal of economists and our elected leaders. these modest reforms in our social insurance programs have to go hand in hand with a process of tax reform. so that the wealthiest individuals and corporations can take advantage of loopholes and deductions that aren't available to most americans. leaders in both parties have already identified the need to get rid of these loopholes and deductions. there's no reason why we should keep them at a time when we're trying to cut down on our deficit. if we are going to close loopholes, there's no reason we should use the savings that we obtain and turn around and spend that on new tax breaks for the wealthiest or for corporations. if we're serious about paying

down the deficit, the savings we achieve from tax reform should be used to pay down the deficit. and potentially to make our businesses more competitive. now, i think this balanced mix of spending cuts and tax reform is the best way to finish the job of deficit reduction. the overwhelming majority of the american people, democrats and republicans, as well as independents, have the same view. and both the house and the senate are working towards budget proposals that i hope reflect this balanced approach. having said that, i know that a full budget may not be finished before march 1st, and unfortunately that's the date when a series of harmful automatic cuts to job-creating investments and defense spend, also known as sequester, are scheduled to take effect. so, if congress can't act immediately on a bigger package,

if they can't get a bigger package done by the time the sequester is scheduled to go into effect, then i believe that they should at least pass a smaller package of spending cuts and tax reforms that would delay the economically damaging effects of the sequester for a few more months until congress finds a way to replace these cuts with a smarter solution. there is no reason that the jobs of thousands of americans who work in national security or education or clean energy, not to mention the growth of the entire economy, should be put in jeopardy because folks in washington couldn't come together to eliminate a few special interest tax loopholes or government programs that we agree need some reform. congress is already working towards a budget that would permanently replace the sequester, at the very least we should give them the chance to come up with a budget instead of making an indiscriminate cuts

now that will cost us jobs and significantly slow down a recovery. so i mean, let me repeat our economy right now is headed in the right direction. it will stay that way as long as there aren't anymore self-inflicted wounds coming out of washington. let's keep on chipping away at this problem together as democrats and republicans, to give our workers and our businesses the support that they need to thrive in the weeks and months ahead. thanks very much. i know that you're going to have a whole bunch of other questions and that's why i hired this guy, jay carney, to take those questions. thank you, everybody. >> president of the united states heading out of the briefing room, leaving his press secretary, jay carney, to take the questions. the president wanting to deliver a statement on what in washington is called the sequester, spending cut due to take effect march 1st until they agree on a grand budget or a

temporary package, he used the term modest spending cuts and tax reforms, some cuts in federal spending, and the president wants more revenue, the tax reform he wants the republican house to agree to more revenues. joined by gloria borger in washington, jean sahadi the senior writer for cnn money in new york. the president doesn't want to talk about let's say a new memo released about the powers he has to kill americans overseas, american citizens, if involved in terrorist activities. he doesn't perhaps want to talk about other issues on the agenda, including the shaky nomination of his choice for defense secretary but wanted to talk about this because he believe he has the upper hand. republicans believe that deadline is the only leverage they have to get deeper cuts. >> and the technical term for what the president suggested today is kicking the can down the road, john, which is he said, let's come up with a smaller package because we're not going to be able to make the grand bargain.

the problem that the president has is that republicans say, we've had the tax debate, we don't want your so-called balanced package of what he calls tax reform and spending cuts. we did taxes. now it's time for spending. and the president believes he's got leverage. the republicans believe in their polls, in talking to republicans today, that they have actually got the upper hand on this. i think the big question is, as the president raised, how will this affect the economy, which as the president said is poised for progress and will political dysfunction in washington keep it moving from the right direction? >> jean, what is the debate among ceos, those who walk the floors of the major financial institutions in the markets in new york about the president says we need a temporary fix for now, another temporary fix i should say, that's the way washington does the business, a bunnen of band-aids as opposed to a big deal. the president says it's critical to get that because he doesn't

want thousands of americans to lose their jobs and the economy to lose the steam. we heard complaints about uncertainty. where's the line? >> right. well, there's just going to be a lot of uncertainty this year, they can't get rid of it. what i hear from research analysts who talk to folks who trade and talk to the financial ceos because of the fiscal cliff deal there's more certainty on the tax front because we extended the bush tax cuts and did a host of other things permanently. that was good. i think the sequester, people are resigned to it. they expect it to go into effect for a short while. some folks i talked like at bipartisan policy center say, if it goes into effect it's going to stay into effect. it will result in loss of jobs. the pentagon, i think last week, said that they were going to lay off 46,000 temporary workers and furlough civilian workers for a day a week for 22 weeks. this is not without effect on real people. the people who want the sequester to go into effect for

a while, republicans who say, we'll deal with it, they want to hear complaints from constituents. they want pressure to be put on lawmakers to get their act together. i don't flow if that will work. because it hasn't worked so far. that's the hope. >> so far. eventually perhaps washington will get back to doing it the way it's supposed to be done. the president calling for a temporary fix. thank you for joining us. gloria borger, back in washington. as i turn things over to suzanne malveaux in atlanta. i love the language the president use, modest reforms, that means cuts in social programs, he's willing to do that in exchange for modest tax reforms, he means increases. language always interesting. tell us what's coming ahead. >> appearing reasonable and he's got the bully pulpit to do it. can't blame him for taking advantage of that. the gop has a new message that has changed. live pictures, eric cantor giving the republican party a

makeover. what he's saying about his own party. and drones, how the u.s. government can use them to kill its citizens if they are leading al qaeda terror attacks. [ male announcer ] this is anna, her long day teaching the perfect swing begins with back pain and a choice.

take advil, and maybe have to take up to four in a day. or take aleve, which can relieve pain all day with just two pills. good eye.

stop! stop! stop! come back here! humans -- we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back with great ideas like our optional better car replacement. if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call... and ask one of our insurance experts about it today. hello?! we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, and we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. [car alarm blaring] call now and also ask about our 24/7 support and service. call...

and lock in your rate for 12 months today. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? when is it legal for the u.s. government to kill its own citizens overseas? a justice department memo spells ow the position of the obama administration. now the memo, justifies the targeted killing of an american who is considered a senior operational lead of al qaeda or associated group and poses an imminent threat of violent attack against the united states. want to bring in our pentagon correspondent barbara starr, joins us live here. the policy now made public. is there any reaction to the fact that now people, very clearly stated in the memo, know what it's all about? >> reporter: you know, i think this has emerged over the last couple of years, but you're right, suzanne, it is this memo

that puts it out in black and white. if you're an american citizen, you can, in fact, be killed by your government overseas with no trial, no due process, if there is a -- some decision by the u.s. administration that you're engaged in terrorist activities. in fact the attorney general, eric holder, talked about this earlier today. i want you to listen to what he had to say. >> we say that we only take these kinds of actions when there's an imminent threat, when capture is not feasible and when we are confident that we are doing so in a way that's consistent with federal and international law. >> reporter: consistent with federal and international law. this memo, suzanne, lays out a case that many might say does not comport with u.s. law. it lays out the strategy that the threat, the imminent threat, may not have to be so imminent. it doesn't necessarily require the typical time, date, and

place, where will an attack happen and go after the person because they are specifically planning that attack. it's very broad definition, many will say of what a threat is actually constituted of. >> explain to us, why, first of all, why would the attorney general come out and talk about this policy? is this -- is this a way to intimidate those who might be participating in some terrorist plot? secondly, are they doing it because they got, you know, beat, basically, because of the leak? >> reporter: well, perhaps a little bit more of the second is why reporters asked holder at a briefing he was having today on a completely different subject, reporters went after him to ask about this because, don't for get, john brennan, architect of much of the policy, top white house aide to president obama, on counter terrorism is up before the senate on thursday for his nomination as director of the cia. you can expect a lot of hot questioning from the senate

intelligence committee because they have been pressing the white house and the justice department to give them at least the much more highly classified opinion about what justifies all of this. brennan will be on the hot seat thursday in front of that committee. >> very good point, barbara. thank you. new jersey senator robert menendez is now firing back against allegations that he partied with prostitutes in the caribbean. hear what he's saying, up next. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thankyou card to pick up some accessories. a new belt.

some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? and with all the points i've been earning, i was able to get us a flight to our favorite climbing spot even on a holiday weekend. ♪ things are definitely looking up. [ male announcer ] with no blackout dates, you can use your citi thankyou points to travel whenever you want. visit citi.com/thankyoucards to apply. i took something for my sinuses, but i still have this cough. [ male announcer ] a lot of sinus products don't treat cough. they don't? [ male announcer ] nope, but alka seltzer plus severe sinus does it treats your worst sinus symptoms, plus that annoying cough. [ breathes deeply ] ♪ oh, what a relief it is! [ angry gibberish ]

break news. three schools, in yuma, arizona, now on lockdown right now. the lockdown, of course, the students all being held in a certain classroom, location, until folks down on the ground can figure out whether or not it's safe for students to move around. we are told that this is a precautionary measure because police are investigating a report of a possible, possible sighting of a student with a gun at rancho viejo elementary school according to the yuma police department. other schools involved on lockdown. rancho viejo, elementary school. a nearby school, and another school, three schools where those students not allowed to join classrooms or location while police are investigating

the reports of seeing a student potentially a student with some sort of weapon, some sort of gun. we are going to be following this story to just try to get a sense of what's happening on the ground with three schools in yuma, arizona. as soon as we get more details, we'll bring that to you. also today, it would have been trayvon martin's 18th birthday. man charged with killing him is back in court. lawyers for george zimmerman are trying to get the trial delayed. they have requested additional records. this, as you might recall, second-degree murder case, martin shot and killed almost a year ago in florida. zimmerman has always claim head fired this unarmed teenager, trayvon martin, in self-defense. there's a new investigation as well into the blackout at the super bowl in new orleans.

entergy, which plies power to the stadium will work with superdome management to hire an independent investigator to find out what caused that power outage. recall the power went out in part of the dome early in the third quarter of the game. could be more details friday when you have officials expected to speak at a meeting in the city.wi tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 investors want. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 like no atm fees, worldwide. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and no nuisance fees. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 plus deposit checks with mobile deposit. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and manage your cash and investments tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 with schwab's mobile app. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 no wonder schwab bank has grown to over 70 billion in assets. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 so if you're looking for a bank that's in your corner, tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 not just on the corner... tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 call, click or visit to start banking with schwab bank today. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550

new jersey senator robert menendez is speaking out about the allegations that he partied with prostitutes in the dominican republic. dana bash talked with the senator exclusively. facing allegations of improper travel connected to flights that he took on a private jet, owned by one of his biggest campaign donors. menendez says it's all a bunch of rumors stirred up by his political enemies. dan ta bash joining us live. impressive, sometimes people don't want to questions. a lot of questions coming his way. you managed to get questions to him. what was his demeanor and how did he respond to you? >> reporter: after avoiding reporters for a couple of weeks he made a point of coming out to talk to reporters and made a big effort, walked to a different floor of the capitol to where the camera was in order to speak to us. on the issue of spending, nearly

$60,000, take a private flight that cost that much, without paying it back, he admitted it and effectively apologized saying that he -- it was an oversight. i asked about the fact that maybe he paid it back in saying it's an oversight now because he got caught, because it was reported. he said no. on the issue of prostitutes and allegations that made their way from the blogs and conservative blogs, especially, into the mainstream media, he was also prepared for that and he was quite angry about that kind of reporting. listen to what he said. >> the smears. >> you were with prostitutes, sir. >> the smears that right wing blogs have been pushing since the election and that's totally unsubstantiated. >> reporter: unsubstantiated. you know you can see his demeanor change, i'm guessing anytime anybody in any work is asked about prostitutes their demeanor changed but

particularly united states senator standing in the hall of the capitol. he was eager to talk about it and talked to his home state newspapers as well. >> real quick here, we'll turn the corner, why did he talk now? do you think it got to the point the threshold he felt like he was losing the pr battle, he had to jump in at this point? >> reporter: yes, i think that's exactly right. i asked the question, i was surprised to get an e-mail saying he was ready to talk. and the answer was because he is angry, he's angry about the fact that these allegations are out there, particularly about the prostitutes. he wanted to answerer them and he also wanted to talk finally about the issues that he generally admits to. so, yes, i mean he realized that it had just gotten out of control and he's sick of running away from reporters in the hallways. >> yes, we can be rather insist ent there. you talked to somebody else willing to talk, eric cantor,

trying to get a makeover from the republican party or push for a different branding, if you will. what did he held you? >> reporter: he's giving a speech at american enterprise institute, a think tank in washington, as you see, talking about the fact trying to soften republicans' image, trying to bring what his aides and even he talks about bread and butter issues to the fore. they understand inside the republican caucus, he especially so, what happened in the last election, that republicans got their clocks cleaned with every demographic except white men. the next question, what are you going to do about it policy wise. one of the big issues debated now is immigration reform. so also guns. but on the issue of guns i asked him the question about background checks because people here say they think that is probably the most likely to get passed but a lot of republicans have trouble with it.

listen to the exchange on that issue. >> so sounds like you are in favor of beefing up background checks on a federal level? >> i am for making sure that we increase the quality of information in the database that is existence already. >> reporter: so, suzanne, i think the best way to parse that he took a baby step towards the idea of federal background checks and strengthening them. the question is, of course, whether or not there will be universal background checks and change the whole system, he didn't go there. >> not a complete makeover. thank you. appreciate it. another story we're following, fewer african-american men with cancer. why the cancer racial gap is closing. this is "cnn newsroom" happening now.

news today in the fight against cancer. new data shows the racial gap for certain forms of the disease actually might be closing. want to bring in elizabeth cohen to talk about what researchers are finding and this sounds like this is good news. >> it is. hopefully it is the beginning of the end of the racial gap we have talked so much about, that black people get cancer at higher rates than white people. what we're seeing is that the declines, the cancer declines are actually bigger among

african-americans than among white americans. so let's take a look at that. so this gets very numeric. i'll try to explain it well. you look at declining cancer death rates per year from 2000 to 2009, you see a decline of 2.4% for african-american men, but a decline of only 1.7% for white men. not a big difference, but a significant difference. and if you translate that, to actual lives saved, 200,000 african-american men are alive today because of that decrease. >> why is this the case? what is happening in the community? i talked to the author of the study, he said it is largely because of smoking. african-american men are quitting smoking at a relatively high rate. less smoking, fewer cancer deaths. >> isn't that great? >> it is great. it is lovely, yes. >> just to be clear, though, when you look at the two groups, is there one group doing better overall or is it basically the same? >> overall african-americans get cancer at higher rates than white americans. an african-american is more

likely to get cancer in his or her lifetime than a white american american. if you look by race, for men, african-american cancer rates are 33% higher than for white men. for women, african-american cancer death rates are 16% higher than for white women. those are big, big numbers. that's when we talk about sort of discrepancies, you know, racial discrepancy. that's -- that's one of the things that we're talking about. and one of the big things is access to good medical care. that's one of the reasons is that african-americans don't have the same kind of access to good health care as white americans in this country. still, getting better, getting better, but still not the same. >> what about diet? diet and exercise? >> diet and exercise have something to do with it. socioeconomic factors have something to do with it. it is multifactorial, a lot going on here, a lot of reasons why you see the differences in the numbers. >> so a lot of work to do, but good that people are -- they're starting to -- >> the smoking -- >> the smoking is a direct correlation. >> absolutely. you get the smoking rates down,

you're going to get cancer rates down. >> all right, good. thank you, elizabeth. appreciate the good news. for more on the story, visit cnnhealth.com. driving a new car getting a little more expensive. how the cost of gas is taking a bigger chunk out of your paycheck. i tried weight loss plans... but their shakes aren't always made for people with diabetes. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. and they have six grams of sugars. with fifteen grams of protein to help manage hunger... look who's getting smart about her weight. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes.

[ male announcer ] engine light on? come to meineke now for a free code scan read and you'll say...my money. my choice. my meineke.

come to meineke now for a free code scan read we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much. i appreciate it. i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money?

if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. your money needs an ally. all right, we're all spending more of our paychecks on gas. the energy department says we pumped out about 4% of our incomes into the tank last year. on average that is almost $3,000 a year. the average price for a gallon of gas now $3.53, up 17 cents from just a week ago. and we just saw last month's unemployment rate go up. it is now sitting at 7.9%. for folks who are struggling to find work, the answer could be

education. that's right. ali velshi, christine romans digging down deep, explaining why. >> friday's jobs report showed once again the more education you have, the easier it is to find a job. between 2010 and 2012, unemployment for people with the associate degrees increased by 3%. employment for workers with bachelors degrees rose by 5%. and people with advanced degrees, their job gains even bigger, 7%. workers with high school disagrdegrees or less, lost. >> people say i got this kind of degree and a job not commensurate, that's a good point, having a college degree doesn't guarantee a good job. look at this. 37% of college graduates who are employed are working in jobs that don't require more than a high school diploma. college grads make up one in four retail workers, one in five telemarketers and one in six bartenders. >> that's so confounding for a

lot of you graduating with a lot of debt. if you're picking what to study for the first time, consider the fields that are growing and are paying well. fields like health care. >> i love accounting as you know. >> computer science, engineering, anything stem. health care, science, technology, engineering, math, and health care. >> here are five occupations adding jobs, registered nurses, elementary school teachers, sales reps, accountants and auditors and physicians and surgeons. all pay more than $50,000 a year. education does help. >> and computer systems, computer analytics, everything with coding and programming, these things are doing really well as well. suzanne. >> thanks, guys. fleece washingtpolice in wa the lookout for a woman who robbed two banks within minutes of each other. police say she walked into a pnc bank, she landed a teller a note demanding money, walked away with the cash and 15 minutes later, police say the same woman showed up at a bank of america a

few blocks away, picked up more cash. investigators describe the mystery woman as armed and dangerous. mother in florida says that a man tried to kidnap her kids. but she was saved by a group of teens. this man, he is in jail, right now. deputies say he's accused of attempting to snatch the children from a park. bay news 9 reports that the mother was watching her daughter and nephew when this guy came out of the woods, muttering he was sent by god to rid the world of trash. she said he tried to walking away with the kids but she caught up with him. she yelled for help and a group of kids came to her rescue. this man called police to report he was beaten up by the teenagers. he calls himself america's toughest sheriff but he got taken. sheriff joe arpaio saysis